Dear Cokehead,

Assuming that you drink regular, and not diet, soda, nutritionally it is a source of sugar, caffeine, caramel coloring, and little else. Sugar and caffeine are both sources of controversy. One (12 oz) can of cola contains about 8 teaspoons of sugar. One faction of the sugar controversy states that it can cause cavities and is a source of empty calories (calories with no other nutrients, i.e., vitamins and minerals). The problem with empty calories is that it keeps you from eating other foods that are more nutritious and beneficial to your health. The other faction says that sugar is an evil that has detrimental physical and mental effects and it needs to be avoided at all costs. Since sugar is a carbohydrate, it can be used by the body for energy, or if consumed in excess, it can be converted to fat.

Caffeine is another source of debate. One (12 oz) can of a cola product has about half the caffeine of a cup of coffee. On the positive side, caffeine does improve mental alertness. Much of the research on the long-term effects of caffeine have found that drinking the equivalent of 2 cups of coffee daily seems to have no detrimental health consequences. Take into consideration, however, that it is really hard to conduct this type of long-term research, because it's tough to track a significant number of people over time, and because there are so many competing factors to control for, such as smoking, alcohol use, and stress, making it difficult to determine which factor causes what long-term effect. On the negative side, a caffeine overdose can cause anxiety and decreased sleep (as anyone who has ever had too much caffeine can tell you!). Caffeine, similar to sugar, is something you'll have to decide which side of the debate to stand on.

A third area of controversy is acid. Soft drinks often contain enough phosphoric acid to disturb the acid-alkaline balance of the stomach and, according to some sources, could cause harm: stomach and intestinal inflammation, intestinal erosion, and various forms of cancer have all been blamed upon excessive acid exposure. Most of these claims remain unsubstantiated, however. Studies have also suggested that phosphoric acid causes digestional distress in patients who have kidney problems. While it is true that soda may alter the pH balance of the stomach, the stomach mucous and GI secretions act as buffers, shielding the rest of the body from excessively acidic contents of the stomach. When deciding how much acid is right for you, listen to your stomach and heed its messages to maintain a healthy balance.

In a larger context, the transportation, processing, packaging, and marketing of soda has a huge negative impact on the environment. Considering how little nourishment there is in a can of soda, it seems a huge contradiction to be taking so much away from the environment in order to get it into your mouth.

In terms of "quitting" soda, people have been known to go cold turkey with the stuff, which usually takes lots of motivation. However, some people say that after an initial period of adjustment (i.e., headaches, lethargy, feeling the "blues," etc.), they do feel physically and mentally better, which is enough to keep them from going back. Others cut down more slowly, by substituting other beverages for soda, including:

• seltzer with a little unsweetened cranberry or grape juice
• unsweetened, non-caloric flavored seltzers
• plain tap water with lemon juice and an optional 1 - 2 teaspoons of sugar

Always keep alternative beverages handy, because if you're thirsty, and there's nothing else around, it becomes too easy to pop some coins in the closest soda machine and get hooked again.

Alice

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